So Many Things!

Hello, friends!

As I was thinking about what I wanted to post this week, I realized that there were too many things on my mind to only touch on one topic. At the same time, there wasn't really enough for a Super Blog like I've done in the past. There was a plethora of topics but not really a cohesive theme to tie them all together besides the fact that life has been happening this past week. So, we're going to do a little bit of a "quick hits" sort of thing. Few thoughts on a couple of different topics that have been rattling around in my brain for the past week. Here we go!

Our Ministry Partnership Celebration: Thanks so much to everyone who came and who prayed for us as we prepared for our first ever Mid-Missouri Ministry Partnership Celebration Dinner. All said and done, I'd say it was a success! Folk showed up, there was a ton of delicious food that everyone enjoyed (cooked by my wonderful wife), folk learned a little more about InterVarsity in Mid-MO, and some folk were interested in partnering with us further. We definitely learned a lot and if we do it next year (which I hope we do), it'll be an even better experience.

Regional Leadership Team Meetings: Monday through Wednesday I was in St. Louis for my first ever Regional Leadership Team Meetings. Since I took the role of Associate Area Director this semester, I was invited to these RLT meetings. It was a really interesting experience for me. We talked about the differences and similarities between a team and a family (while trying to be both), spent a lot of time praying for each other and our different ministries, enjoyed one another's company, and made some really important decisions regarding the direction of the Region. In some ways, it was exactly as I'd expected it to be but in other ways, it was very different. I was anticipating all the business stuff. I wasn't expecting such a heavy emphasis on the "familia" aspect of things.

Orlando: I've been trying to figure out how to talk well about Orlando. My heart is broken for those in the LGBTQA community who lost their lives, who had friends or loved ones who lost their lives, who feel unsafe, who have heard horrible things said about them by those who claim Christ, and are the victims yet again of another hate crime. My heart breaks for the Latin@ community because many of the victims were Latin@ and it feels like that fact is being a lost a little in the news coverage. My heart breaks for those in the Muslim community who now have to deal with even more hatred and hateful rhetoric, stereotyping, racial/ethnic profiling, and potential acts of "revenge." My heart breaks for the Church in the U.S. because yet again, I feel like we're caught as a body divided, especially as I scroll my Facebook. I'm still not sure how to talk about Orlando well. I know what the answer isn't, but I'm not sure what the answer is, beyond praying for comfort, praying for peace, and praying that God's will be done.

Father's Day: So apparently Sunday is Father's Day! Honestly, I'd been getting prepared for Ezra's birthday (get excited!) that I hadn't thought about Father's Day much. Being a dad is the best. End of story. I don't know how good of a job I'm doing (he's still alive, so that's a positive, right?) but I'm having tons of fun.

I think that's everything for now. If I forgot something, you can bet that you'll hear about it (or read about it) soon. =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam